Instead of silicone, people with certain industry experience must know that TPE material is the most suitable material. TPE has soft hardness, feel and elasticity similar to that of silica gel, and can be regarded as an environmentally friendly and nontoxic food-grade material. TPE is a thermoplastic material, which can be recycled repeatedly, with short processing cycle and high production efficiency.
However, it should be noted that the processing equipment of TPE and silica gel is different. Silicone is generally processed by hydraulic press or LSR silicone injection machine, while TPE needs to be molded by ordinary injection machine. When replacing materials, corresponding processing equipment is required.
In the following cases, TPE is not recommended to replace silica gel.
1, high temperature requirement.
For example, some lunch boxes in the microwave oven or materials that need high temperature disinfection. Generally, it is required to resist low temperature to 120~200 degrees. TPE generally can't reach this heat-resistant temperature.
2. The permanent deformation of compressed or stretched products is small.
Some sealing ring products need better compression deformation recovery performance. Maintain the function of the product. But TPE is not suitable for this kind of products because of its large compression deformation.